"Reading the signs" {FINISHED}

[ronstoppable]

Ron had only been going to the academy for a week and still had not found his friend Kim Peters. He was now in world cultures class again because he actually liked to learn about the world. He was in his Red jersey looking shirt and cargo pants but the cargo pants held something special. It held Ron's naked mole rat Rufus who he had bought when he was a child and who was sleeping. The class hadn't started just yet so he didn't think anyone with friends would be here yet but it didn't hurt to see if he could sit next to someone before the bell rang.

As Ron looked around he found a brown haired boy sitting in the very back seeming to study. Ron walked up to him and smiled softly at the boy and tried to think of what to say.

"Hey Man."

Ron waited for a moment and didn't get an answer. He wondered why the boy didn't answer him so he decided to try again by tapping his shoulder.

"Hey man I'm Ron what's your name?"

[Chris Heldig]

Chris sat in class reading a book by his favorite author and waiting for class to begin. He had his backpack next to him, his laptop safely inside it. He loved this class as it allowed him to learn all about all the different cultures. This would come in handy if he ever got a lot of friends on campus. Obviously at a boarding school no one could tell for sure who they would meet or where they came from.

Chris obviously couldn't hear anything and so he was waiting for the teacher to show up. That was his cue to take his laptop out and focus on the world in front of him rather than the one he created in his own mind. So when he was tapped on the shoulder he did what any person would do and jumped out of his chair, slamming the book closed on his desk and turning to face whoever had tapped him.

Once Chris had calmed down a bit, he examined who had tapped him a bit and he realized he didn't recognize this boy. He quickly guessed this boy also didn't know him or he would have known Chris was deaf. And so Chris pulled out his laptop, holding up one finger to signal "wait a minute". Once the laptop was open in front of him, he quickly typed Hi my name is chris. What's yours?. He than turned the laptop to face the boy in the red shirt and waited paitently to see what the boy would do. He also gestured to the laptop keyboard hoping the boy would understand to type his message back. All he could do was hope.

[ronstoppable]

Ron chuckled a bit when he saw the boy jump but then felt bad for laughing because it occurred to him that the boy couldn't hear him talk. It kind of reminded Ron of his friend felix because he was also handicapped. He could not walk. Ron watched as the boy pulled out his laptop and typed something down on it and then turned it. The boy used his computer to communicate with others instead of sign language. Ron smiled and read what the boy typed and and decided to reply back.

"Sup dude, My names Ron. This here is my buddy Rufus."

Ron then reached into his pocket and pulled out rufus who scurried onto the table and smiled up at Chris and sat on the edge of the computer. Ron smiled and continued typing.

"He is my naked mole rat I got from smarty mart back home cause my dad is alergic to all kinds of fur. Do you like animals? I worked at the smarty mart pet department before coming to school here. Do you know Kim possible?

If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been deaf? I know a kid named Felix who can't walk but has a cybertronic wheel chair. It's cool. Do you like Video games? Wanna be buds?"

Ron then turned the computer back over to chris causing Rufus to scurry off of it back to Ron's part of the table as Ron pulled up a chair so he could stop standing so he could talk to his new friend.

[Chris Heldig]

Chris was a bit overwhelmed by this boy's rapid fired questions. Part of him wondered that if he could hear if he would have been even more baffled. If he said this much when typing replies, Chris could only imagine how much he would say if he could be heard, not to mention how fast. Nonetheless, he felt he had to reply and so after a second reading of what the boy, Ron, had typed, Chris cleared the screen and began typing his replies.

"I love animals although I've never heard of a naked mole rat. He's odd but he seems friendly enough. As for Kim Possible, I don't think I've net her although i could have just forgotten. Why do you ask?"

Chris thought for a moment before continuing. "I don't really play video games so I guess I don't like them? I'm not sure. I'm also not sure about friends yet. You seem very nice so I'll say yes.

Chris was about to turn the computer back but than remembered that the boy had mentioned knowing a boy who was in a wheelchair. Chris wondered if this boy knew any deaf boys too and so he added quickly, "Do you know any other deaf teenagers and do you know any sign language"

Chris had been anxious to meet some students who he could communicate with in sign language rather than typing out all his thoughts. He had to hope and so, once he had finished typing this, he turned the computer back to Ron and smiled his odd smile. Maybe things were looking up for the day. All he could do was hope, right?

[ronstoppable]

Ron smiled as he watched his new deaf class mate type on his computer as Rufus just scurried back into his pocket. As the boy turned the computer back around Ron bent over and began to read again with a smile as he read that Chris would be his friend. Ron eagerly began to type back to his new friend full of excitement.

"It's alright that you don't know Kim yet. I am her best friend so I will introduce you later. I don't know any other deaf people but I will try my best to learn sign language so we don't have to type. As for the video games that can be easily fixed with a nightly video game session. So, Do you like mexican food? Have you ever heard of the Nako? I invented it and it became famous in my home town. So what do you do for fun? I am a gamer and I like to hang with Kim and I am a foot ball player but I only play for games."

Ron then turned the computer back to Chris with a wide smile and waited for his friends reply.

[Chris Heldig]

Chris was becoming quite uncomfortable with this situation. He wished he could just talk and answer all these questions instead of typing everything out. Chris was also becoming more and more aware that he was from a different planet than this boy. He didn't like Tacos or Mexican, he'd never heard of a Naco and he had never had an interest in video games. Ron seemed nice but they seemed to have nothing in common. Chris wanted friends but he didn't want to change for them. He just had a bad feeling about this whole situation. It wasn't against Ron or Kim or Rufus or anyone but he didn't know how to react. He just wanted class to begin and the teacher to appear. He wanted to go back to being invisible and silent and just learn in peace.

But that wasn't happening just yet and so Chris felt obligated to reply to this boy's long list of comments and questions. He hoped this boy wasn't always like that but it didn't look likely things would be different. I don't mind typing. You don't need to learn sign language. It's okay. I don't know if I'll like video games but I guess I could try. I've never had a Naco and I don't really eat a lot of Mexican but it must be nice being famous for a creation in your town. I like to read and write and play drums. I play in the marching band, not that anyone believes a deaf boy can play. Do you play any instruments?

Chris wasn't sure what else to say and so he finished typing and turned the laptop back towards Ron as he silently hoped class would start soon. He wanted to learn and time had seemed to stop, leaving him trapped in this awkward situation he couldn't escape.

[ronstoppable]

Ron just watched Chris type away on his laptop. He didn't have much in common with this boy at all but Ron being the friendly boy he was he often tried to make as many friends as possible even though it sometimes never really worked out. Ron hoped it would this time. He quickly read what Chris typed and began to type back. As he did however he saw people begin to enter the class room so he tried to speed up.

"I will gladly learn sign language and it's OK I guess. I don't care about fame I just enjoy the food. As for the Video games, Not everyone enjoys every kind. You just kind of have to find the right ones ya know? Your in Marching band? That's cool! I don't really play an instrument but when I was younger I won a talent contest by rapping once. It was neat."

While he was typing Ron heard the bell ring as the rest of the class filled the room. Ron smiled at Chris and sighed and typed.

"Class is starting, talk to you again soon man."

He then waved and walked over to his desk and sat down as class started.

[Chris Heldig]

Chris waited for the next wave of questions and comments when the bell rang. Chris could feel the tension leave his body as he saw people enter the classroom and the teacher finally arrive. He could finally focus on learning and stop struggling to find a connection or common interest that seemed to be nonexistent with this seemingly hyper boy. It wasn't that the boy didn't seem nice but they didn't seem to have anything in common and he was not in the mood to type away on his laptop for hours until they found something in common. Chris also didn't want to change to make friends and without common interests friendships would be hard to make. At least Chris thought so.

Chris turned his attention back to the boy to find him gone with a block of text typed on his laptop screen. He took his laptop and placed it in front of him once more and quickly read the text before erasing it from the screen. Chris waved to Ron and smiled, acknowledging what the boy had said, before returning his attention to the front board as class finally began.